Dream Factory
by Menoo
Summary: Ambitious Minako Aino moves from a remote village in Tokyo with her boyfriend Yaten Kou, following her dream of becoming a star. In Tokyo, she stays with her cousin Setsuna Mayo and her fiancé Kunzite Hashimoto, who are investigating the serious case of ruthless criminals known as "Avengers Pack". Will the rise to stardom suddenly become dangerous when feelings get involved?...
1. New life

The bright sun was shining right in her eyes, and Minako blinked. Hands automatically rushed around in search of glasses, which as always were not in place at the right time. After finding the accessory in the glove compartment and wearing the big Shiels sunglasses in a green frame, the girl sighed and started enjoying the changing view outside the windows of their car. The glossy glass of luxurious skyscrapers, colorful billboards and highways sparkling like a mirror - all these attributes of the big city were attracting her as the strongest ferromagnetic.

"How long, Yaten?" She whimpered miserably and frowned cautiously, not forgetting to check how she looked in the mirror.

"Mina, how can you be so impatient? In the last hour, you asked me six times already. We have already reached Tokyo, and if the GPS shows right, then there are twenty minutes left".

"Twenty minutes," the blonde repeated thoughtfully and shook off the non-existent dust from the phone's screen, "Just a little more left. I am getting goosebumps thinking about it. And even my feet start sweating. Are you worried?

Instead of answering, her companion grinned and, with one hand relaxed behind the wheel, added a little more speed - they drove the inbound restriction.

"You're so boring, Yaten." As always, you are silent and not answering!

"Should t I?" The blond man said with the same grin, raising an eyebrow. "Skip the foreplay. Tell me how excited you are".

Minako looked suspiciously at the guy but burst out laughing at once good-naturedly. In their tandem, she was emotional but absolutely easy-going.

" It will be so cool! Mina blurted out passionately. We will conquer this City. We'll all do it. Like Beyoncé and Jay Zee, like Bonnie and Clyde. How... how... I do not even know what other comparisons to tell. But we will go down in history".

" How many emotions, how many prophecies. Do not get too excited my dear, "Yaten sang in a deliberately high voice and immediately received the phone on the head.

"Once more, Mina, and you'll have to walk to the prosecutor's house." There was a slight threat in the guy`s voice.

"Well, forgive me, love." You're just so arrogant sometimes. Oh, wait, no, not sometimes. Always!

-"So what? Somehow I made it to 29 years old. Nobody complained, "the guy said, turning to the left. The GPS showed that there was less than a mile left.

" I am complaining. Be considerate to Setsuna and Kunzite!"

"I'll be an angel," Yaten smiled, winking at the girl. "Everything will be okay, baby. Listen, let's slow down near McDonald's, I need to go somewhere. Can I get you something?

"From McDonald's?" I'm the future star of all Japan, the voice of the musical and the first face of all the covers of magazines in McDonald's?

" Okay, I understand, I'll take your favorite Mc Nuggets."

"Six pieces!"

Returning with a box of Mc Nuggets and a hamburger with coke, Yaten quickly returned to the driver's seat.

As soon as they were done with food, Yaten took out empty bags in a nearby litter box. His face suddenly turned serious and concentrated. Minako looked at the young man with caution- she knew, at such times, Yaten was thinking about something serious.

"You do not regret that we started all this, do you?" Minako touched his palm of the hand gently, and he squeezed her tightly. Green eyes reflected in her.

"No, of course not, baby. It's just a big adventure that we started. You know, I'm not like you. I love peace and balance."

"I know," Minako lowered her head, "you do not even know how much I'm grateful to you."

"Stop it," the guy carefully raised Minako's chin, "I'm not doing this for you." I'm glad we are doing this. Honestly.

" Really? Minako smiled, and something in Yaten's chest fell. Even after so many years, she had incredible control over him. For one her smile, he was ready...

" Really."

A minute later, the car quickly rushed to meet an optimistic future.

Luxurious mansion, furnished with Spartan asceticism, where one of the most famous and awe-inspiring couples in the world of Tokyo crime lived, was filled on fire. Usually, the melancholic and balanced Setsuna Mayo and Kunzite Hashimoto were clearly out of humor now.

"You do not understand," Setsuna's usually even voice was trembling with anger, "you do not understand that my mother would have killed me if I had refused Aunt Martha."

"No, you do not understand this, Sets, that now we are conducting one of the most serious cases in our career. We finally caught Mamoru Chiba, the elusive leader of the Pack. We have two of his men under the Witness Protection Program. And his gang, who likes to play these manic games, can appear at any moment and just shoot everyone to hell! And at such a time, are you inviting your cousin and your boyfriend to stay with us? Let me pay and get them an apartment, or even a room in the Hilton, "the blond man looked angrily at his bride.

"We have a securely fenced plot. Our house is protected, and the Pack will not attack, "Setsuna said coldly.

"Where did you get that from ?!"

"We both know that, Kunzite. We've been running this business for almost three years, or rather I'm a half, and you're three. We know that the Pack kills only the criminals that our judicial system missed for some reason. And those who protect them. They do not touch innocent people. Moreover, we know what kind of game these bastards are constantly playing. You have me, I have you. You are an orphan, my parents are far away, and they will not get to them ... We are safe".

Kunzite sighed heavily, but a moment later he put his arms around her and set her on his knees.

"I know, but who knows what to expect from them ..."

... The Flock of Avengers, as they called themselves, showed themselves about three and a half years ago, when someone started murdering criminals, those whom the Justice system had missed or failed to reach for some reason. The ones who either paid off or agreed to cooperate with the investigation and all charges were dropped and files tossed off.

At first, the investigator Rice, who was leading the case, was at a loss and thought that this was a showdown or the revenge of the organized criminal group, but each new attack was striking more cruelty and some theatrical versatility of the killing. Victims were often tortured and even had parts of the bodies cut off. This case would have remained a matter of average complexity - how many criminals die, especially when it involves emptying bank accounts, and everything could be attributed to robbery. But after some time, when it came to the most serious and dangerous criminals (previous victims were mostly couriers of the mafia and curators of heroin supplies), the murders crossed the line of cynicism and cruelty. It began with Chuck Maran, who was imprisoned for organizing a sect and brutally killing people. The law recognized Chuck as insane and imprisoned him for life. Everyone knew he was faking the mental illness, but it was impossible to prove. But one day, a parcel got delivered to the prison where Maren was held. In this recording, accompanied by some terrible heavy music, they showed Maran's wife and twenty-year-old daughter. Bound by ropes and with gags in the mouth. A man in an iron mask and a black robe appeared next to him in the video and made an ultimatum - to choose either a daughter or a wife. Time - one hour. The answer was to be delivered by calling a Skype number. The best programmers of the police and special services were immediately involved, but the Flock outsmarted them. Their hackers registered the name on the encrypted e-mail, which came from different proxy servers, and it was impossible to find their location in an hour. Maren, who at once became sane and simultaneously gray with horror, telephoned Skype. The chief of the prison who stood with him began to talk, but the man in the mask brutally struck the daughter of Maran in the face with his stock. Chuck began begging and begging to take his life, but the man in the mask was adamant, saying that if Maren did not give an answer, he would kill both. The father and husband read the answer in the eyes of his wife. He chose the life of his daughter. Later, the prison governor would tell Kunzite that he did not see anything worse than that moment in his entire professional career: Maren lost, he did become insane. A series of terrible attacks followed in a month. True, now they did not contact the prisoners (it was deemed dangerous). They were kidnapping close people, only the loved ones, where the choice was impossible which was followed by a video tape with an ultimatum to the former executioners and murderers. If a victim dared to go to the police, both victims were murdered. In a year and a half, when the old investigator Rice resigned, and the new investigator Mayo came, the number of victims of the Game exceeded forty. Not counting, those victims, who often put a bullet in the mouth after the game.

The pack consisted of professionals, it was evident from their handwriting and elusiveness, and therefore it was incredibly difficult to catch them. Until one beautiful day, two men appeared. Members of the pack, they could no longer live in such a rhythm of Hell and decided to surrender their Leader. He was a former military pilot Mamoru Chiba, the son of a rich military admiral. It was an incredible success- to drag the two mercenaries of the pack to their side and keep the most dangerous predator and leader in the cage. But the main thing was now to catch the rest of the demoralized group and prevent two major witnesses from escaping...

"But why do they have to stay with us?" Even if they do not attack our house, why do we need extra people?

"Well, Kun, you know, my relatives are not so well-off." They have a wonderful farm and land, but you know how difficult it all is in this industry these days. But even this is not the main thing, Aunt Ikuko is conservative, she wants us to take care of the girl.

"How old is this girl?"

"Twenty-five, I think. I saw her when I was ten, and she was five, she was so funny with her pigtails running. Even then, she was singing along MTV, she always wanted to be a singer.

"Isn`t it too late to become a singer at twenty-five?" Kun asked glumly.

"You're wicked," smiled Setsuna's lips, "I promise they will not stay long with us." Suddenly they heard the sound of the intercom system - a car drove into the secured territory, and the guard asked permission to let them through ...

Standing on the veranda, Kunzite relaxed, looking at the sun already beginning to roll. The joy of a quick victory over a long case intoxicated. Two got off the old green Ford came two: a tall, thin guy with platinum hair, carelessly tied in a tail and a tall slender blonde with endless legs and short shorts. Jumping out of their car seat, she immediately, with her sweet and sugary perfume irritating Kunzite`s scent, rushed to kiss Setsuna.

"Sets! Long time no see! "Setsuna cordially and humbly embraced her sister, whom she had not seen for so many years.

"Nice to meet you, Yaten." The young man approached Kunzite and extended his hand politely. The owner of the house liked it.

" I'm Kun, nice to meet you too."

Having disengaged from Setsuna, after almost strangling her in her arms, Minako threw herself on Kunzite`s neck. The guy closed his eyes expecting another attack of cheap sweet perfume, but surprisingly, the girl's hair smelled of pleasant herbal shampoo.

" Oh, you are handsome, Mr. Not surprised mom said that Aunt Reiko should be worried because "a handsome husband is an everybody`s husband," - Minako laughed loudly with her stupid joke.

Kunzite painted his lips in a half-smile. He was interested to see Setsuna's sister, and fortunately, or unfortunately, she was not his type at all. She was diametrically different from Setsuna. His bride had a matte olive skin, thin lips and large deep maroon eyes. She looked like an Arab princess, the image was completed by thick black eyebrows and guttural laughter. Minako was like another dummy from a Hollywood movie about a silly blonde. Only her height and body structure resembled of her cousin (although Minako was slightly shorter) - she had the same long beautiful legs and thin-boned hands. Was this the fault of the tasteless make-up, but Kunzite could not call the girl attractive, puffy lips surrounded by thick pink lipstick, pale skin that shone through the tanning cream, round blue eyes with false eyelashes and blue shadows betrayed the hostess's intelligence. But the tastes differ.

"So you are our future stars of the pop industry," Kunzite said politely and noticed how Yaten grimaced at the same time. Definitely, this young man was to his liking

But Minako beamed.

"Yes, we definitely will be huge here! You would hear Yaten playing the guitar and singing. He has a talent! And I have good abilities both at singing and acting. I already filed online for three castings. So, that a new life begins. To hell with this farmyard!

Yaten smiled slightly and, embracing the girl, kissed her on the temple, unintentionally grazing and dropping her glasses, which the girl pulled on her hair. He managed to catch them, but Minako did not even notice it. She was only a little embarrassed and as if slightly annoyed at such a sudden manifestation of feelings, but she got distracted from the criticism of her farm life.

"Welcome, my dear. I'll show you the room". - Setsuna smiled, and after a minute all four came into the house. A new life has begun. And Yaten grinned at his thoughts, squeezing the sunglasses in his pocket and sighing deeply. The path to stardom was about to start.


	2. Beginning of a journey

The clock said 7 am, and coming out of the shower, Kunzite clearly felt that he had not had enough sleep. As expected, the uninvited guests were getting on his nerves. The guy was still fine, as he was mostly silent, but the girl was a real hell. Her mouth did not close for a second, and the whole dinner Kunzite tried to control himself in hand and fake interest. Surprisingly, Setsuna did not seem bothered by the constant chatting on "castings, selfies, and Kim Kardashian is so sexy". She sincerely enjoyed the company of her sister, whom she had not seen for so many years. It turned out that their mothers once had a strong fight and had not communicated since then for twenty years! Setsuna did not know all the details of the quarrel - both women were crazily stubborn, and did not want to go for contact first. Therefore, Setsuna was especially glad to establish at least some contact with her relative. When for a moment Mina shut up to swallow a piece of sponge cake with strawberry jam ("Hallelujah," Kunzite thought frowningly), Setsuna carefully raised this question. To which Minako looked with frightened eyes at her sister and answered uncertainly that she did not know for sure:

"Honestly, Sets, I myself do not know why they are not getting alone, and daddy never spoke about it to me, no matter how much I asked him." The little I heard was some kind of a rumor. They say that your mother once suggested that mine should move out and abandon our farm, the village life, and the stupid unintelligent husband, but my mother got angry and refused. Unfortunately.

Minako uttered the last word with unconcealed bitterness, to which Yaten smiled softly.

"If it's true, I can not forgive her." Had I not been born on a farm with chickens and pigs I would be already a big star! I was born to become one, and I will prove it to everyone!

If not for politeness, Kunzite would roll his eyes - he heard this "I will prove to everyone" for the fifth time in the evening.

Finishing the dessert, Minako took another half an hour, telling how she played Juliet at the local theater, and how she was applauded. It turned out that she attended acting courses, while at the same time taking a degree in Accounting in a district university, due to pressure from her parents. There she met Yaten, who was from the same small southern town as she. He played in a rock band, and after becoming a fan first, Minako soon became the official girlfriend of the local star.

"I was already ready to put up with fate and become a fat lady with lacy, self-styled white shawls, a bunch of tearful children and breaking my back on Yaten's father's land when my mother somehow casually mentioned your family. She saw you on TV, Sets, you were interviewing a criminal chronicle. I pushed harder and found shocking news, in the heart of the media industry, in a city where there is one celebrity per five people, in the city where Dreams Come True, I have a sister! So, I made her spit on her pride and ask on my behalf me, and I'm so glad and grateful that you did not refuse, sister! You're the best, simply the best!

Minako again rushed to hug Setsuna, and Kunzite grunted to himself- what a nosy girl. After a long conversation and politely refusing to listen to Minako performing the song from the Phantom of the Opera, the tired hosts went to bed.

"I told you, she's sweet," Setsuna said, sitting down on the bed, "she's so alive."

"Too much," Kunzite grumbled, holding the bride in his arms, "too chatty, but the guy balances her."

"That's for sure," Setsuna snapped. "Listen, Kun, this is very important, what she said about our mothers. Mom was very excited that Mina`s mother asked her a favor for the first time in twenty years. All these years, my aunt behaved very coldly... But this is an important step forward. Do you know what I mean? .. I would really like to help my mom.

"What are you talking about?" Kunzite did not understand, kissing the girl's long neck, which smelled like rose oil.

"Maybe ... can I call Him and ask for my sister?"

Shockwaves got sent throughout Kunzite`s body. Kunzite looked at Setsuna, gray eyes glimpsing with steel.

"Are you out of your mind, Sets?" Do you understand what you're talking about?! He's your ex, who has every right to hate me. The feeling is mutual by the way.

" Yes, but... She wants to become the star of the musical so much, and he is the most influential in this scene. Is not it a coincidence?"

"No, - Kunzite pulled away from her, and Setsuna felt cold, - I do not want to spoil the illusion, but your sister has no chance."

"Why is that?" asked Setsuna with growing irritation in her voice.

" Because she's dull. I did not hear her sing, but I'm sure there is nothing special, neither she nor her boyfriend can show. If they could, they would have been noticed by recruiters long ago.

"So you mean that my sister is a talentless no-one?"

" Yes, and it's still gently said."

The girl became silent and took the pillow, laying on the very edge of the bed. An angry sense of jealousy released Kunzait's throat, and he calmed down,

"Sets," he called hoarsely. The girl did not answer. "Love, forgive me." I do not know what got to me. I'm so tired of this case, and then you're reminding me of him.

The girl turned sharply-there were mischievous lights in her eyes:

"I knew you were jealous, my blond Othello!"

Kunzite sharply rushed to the girl, and a second later his hot body pressed against her. After a passionate kiss from which Setsuna's eyes darkened, Kunzite whispered:

"I love you, my beautiful girl. And okay, so be it, if your sister does not work out, I'll use my connections.

Setsuna smiled and pulled the groom to her side ...

Entering the kitchen, Kunzite first smelled the freshly brewed coffee. It turned out that from now on he was not the only one who was getting up early in this house. Minako was quick and full of energy as if she had not just arrived yesterday. Although perhaps, in contrast to Kunzite, she still slept at night - they could get tired from the road.

"Good morning, Kun!" Minako sang and rushed to the cupboard with the mugs. "Coffee?"

"Yes, it would be great," the young man grinned gratefully, sitting down on the high chair by the bar and watching the morning transformation of Mina in amazement. In the morning her face was clear from make-up and, strangely, it suited her. She washed off this bronze tan, and the white snow-white porcelain skin shone with brilliance and youth. Eyes without false eyelashes and terrible shadows were deep and had a beautiful shape. Thick hair was cast in gold. Yes, definitely, she was not bad, but still not his type.

"Where are you going so early?" Mina asked, pouring a life-giving drink, and without listening to his answer, she continued. "I have the first casting today, although it will be in three hours, I need to make up and get ready." You know, it takes time for us girls. If I got this place in the band, it would be a carte blanche. They just have such a group that I need a type like me. Oh, yes, today Yaten also has a casting. It's so exciting...

\- Mina, - he interrupted the girl, wincing from her twitter - it's all very interesting, but I I am sorry I need to go. I have an important meeting.

Throwing these words and almost untouched coffee, the guy abruptly got up and went outside to the car. The girl froze with her mouth open, but then she snorted and poured coffee into the sink. She was easy-going.

Kunzite was the first visitor in a specially protected pre-trial detention center for especially-dangerous persons under the Central Intelligence Agency. The guards looked at Kunzite with surprise, not knowing that the murderer's society was more appealing to him than being close to talkative blonde.

The guards brought in a tall, pale guy with black hair and a beautiful face of an aristocrat, spoilt by a contemptuous grimace.

"Is there something else? I think I said long ago that everything you do here without my lawyer is not legal".

"But you yourself refused the lawyer," Kunzite repeated.

"Yes, because I'm not guilty and will prove it myself in the court," the guy snapped his fingers.

"We have two witnesses, I told you ... you're in a deep shit, Dexter ..."

The prisoner's eyes widened in surprise and immediately narrowed. As a predator.

"I do not know what you're talking about, Mr. Prosecutor. But I'm surprised that you have the skill of hiding information until a certain point."

Kunzite already learned the language of allusions with Mamoru, and therefore decided not to play tricks and fortune-telling.

" Yes, both Nephrite and Jadeite cannot say anything about the other members of your Pack. According to them, all the others were wearing masks, and they do not know them".

"Do you believe this?" - Mamoru's eyes flashed and he leaned back in a stiff chair.

"No," Kunzite's impenetrable face did not even express a grin. "I believe that they are either afraid of other members of the Pack, or they are treating them too well."

"The second option seems very sweet", - Mamoru smirked loudly.

"So they care about the rest that`s why they do not turn them in," Kunzite thought to himself. These meetings were unpleasant, but it was only through such smirks and remarks he could learn at least some of the truth. Surely, this would have no power at the trial. But it was important for him to catch the Pack - even without the Leader, they were dangerous.

"It would be preferable if you did start cooperating with us. We do one job in the end, "Kunzite said dryly.

Mamoru's jaw nearly fell out. "One job?" Vigilantes are not corrupt liberal cops who see the law and sigh softly, like "well, well, well, what can I do. I am just av average cop"

Mamoru paused and frowned: he uttered unnecessarily too much. Instead of gloating, Kunzite looked with disdain at his opponent-the methods of this gang were disgusting to him.

"I will utter the alias of your members of the Pack so that you get the message. We will catch them, and they will be in real trouble. You brought too much grief and death-the Supreme Council will authorize the right to consider you terrorists and destroy".

" How many good guys will die at this unnecessary war. Or bad ones, "Mamoru grinned broadly, showing impeccable white teeth that were not even injured in the insulator. "It seems you are becoming like us. Mi Gusta, Senor Prosecutor."

"Listen," Kunzite`s face twitched, but he managed to overcome the irritation. "Azazel, Kuniklo, Spacy, Trazom, Misery, Linnaeus, Hawk, Zingara and Mond. "We'll catch them all."

Quietly listening to all the nicknames, Mamoru still reacted to one name. Mond.

"I also know that your girlfriend has become your successor."Mond, is not it? " Kunzite drawled, genuinely enjoying the moment.

Arrogance finally came down of Mamoru`s face and a repressed expression mixed with fear and pain appeared in his eyes. Despite the fact that this man was a monster, even he loved someone.

"Even if it's true," he hissed softly, "you'll never get to her." And if even one hair falls from her head, I personally will cut off your bride, Mr. Prosecutor, and eat her liver before your very eyes.

The steel gaze crossed the blackness of the pupils of Dexter, the killer of the murderers.

"We'll catch her when she tries to kill the Tomoe family, or rather kidnap, as you always do, the wife and the daughter Tomoe."

"What?" Mamoru's voice sounded genuinely astonished. Kunzite frowned, did he miscalculate, and this operation started without him.

\- Yes, Mr. Kaczynski has already received a heartbreaking horror-video with a warning. How do you do this propaganda with all these special effects and music? He already thought about sending his daughter Hotaru away from abroad, but we reassured him that we will protect and that you son of a bitch is in prison.

But Mamoru did not listen to him. He was hovering somewhere in his thoughts, apparently trying to understand how the situation got out of his control.

"Who is she? We can save her soul, Dexter."

Mamoru shook his head. And it was not clear what was more in this gesture - disappointment or disbelief. A minute later, he pulled himself together and, returning an arrogant expression, spat into Kunzite`s face:

" She's the one who has a keen sense of justice. She will punish all criminals, and nothing will stop her".

The prisoner stood up. The conversation was over.

Minako was getting ready for three hours, first, this bronze setting, rosy blush, false eyelashes, lenses that made her eyes shiny-she looked like a Barbie doll, and she really liked it. Having put on a mini-skirt and thirteen-centimeters heels, she called a taxi. It's expensive, but in this outfit, she was too good for the metro.

After seeing the long line of long-legged and big-chested contestants, the girl did not despair. Waving her golden hair, she sat next to the girl, who was very different from the others-she had brown hair to her shoulders and a very pleasant face. She was also dressed more simply than the rest, black jeans and a T-shirt with the Metallica logo. Despite her modesty, she was hypnotizing.

"Hi, I'm Minako." The girl started the conversation briskly. The brown-haired girl smiled sweetly in return.

\- I'm Naru, nice to meet you, Minako.


	3. First casting

Naru cast a curious look at the blonde wearing a skimpy outfit. However, she was not too different from other the dazzling girls sitting in the hall. And yet, despite the excessively bright make-up and the overly artificial glint in her eyes, some kind of light came from this girl.

"So many contenders," Mina whistled. "How many do you think will move to the next round?"

\- Well, judging by the rules, only three will pass today. But, of course, not to the final group, but only to the grand tour.

Mina looked with interest at the half-naked beauties. Most came straight from the modeling agencies. Some came with men who had the most boring expressions on their faces.

"And who are they?" Mina asked, pointing at the gloomy companions of the long-legged contenders.

"Their agents," Naru was surprised to hear the question. The ignorance of this girl was remarkable.

"Aah," Mina sighed heavily, "of course, rich girls have agents."

"Well, there are different options. I also have an agent; he signed me up for this casting. He fell ill, so I am here by myself today. And to be fair, you don`t have to pay so much to your agent. To make him or her interested in you is more important. I published a video on Youtube two years ago, then I got some following and subscribers. And somehow things went really well... Yumino appeared, he became my agent. Pushed me into a couple of ads that are broadcast at dawn. Overall, I'm not complaining. And how did you end up here?

"I did not know it was possible to get here through the agent. I really need to find one! Would Yumino be interested in me, you think? To get here I followed the rules as it was said in the casting call. I recorded the video and sent it to them. I'm sure they liked it. I sang Adele: I used a little autotune, but just a little bit. That day I got cold that day, but today I'm fully prepared!

Mina shook her thick hair and winked atNaru.

"I can ask him" - Naru answered thoughtfully. She always took all kinds of words and promises seriously.

"It would be just wonderful." Mina smiled with the most charming smile, showing white teeth.

" I am so curious who the jury is?" Mina thought aloud.

" Yumino was saying that two are from the "Ace" label, and then Fish Eye- she is one of the most successful projects of this company".

"Oh, I love her single "All my love for you." - Mina smiled recalling the angelic face with blue curls and a gentle voice".

"Yes". - Naru nodded. "This is her song. But, alas, the main boss, Mr. Kaitou Ace will not be there. He is a private person, in general, and he rarely appears on such kind of castings. But, of course, he will be present at the finals".

"Is he such a big shot?" - a genuine interest colored Mina`s face.

"Like you even need to ask," the brown-haired girl grinned, "he's the king in the pop world. He is the one who can make you famous overnight. Of course, if you want to sing operas or musicals, you`ve got the wrong guy. But pop is the element of Kaitou Ace".

"To sing in a musical is my dream... But I wish Mr. Ace would notice me," Mina sighed dreamily, stretching her legs.

"Sign up for the line" - Naru smirked, and at that moment, they called out the name "Aino".

"Good luck! " Mina barely heard Naru as she was too absorbed in the upcoming performance.

The scene was brightly lit, but the rest of the room was left dark. Only soft lights lit up the table, behind which sat three members of the jury. The first was a big man with a heavy look and a porous skin. A thick black mustache was the only memorable detail in his appearance, making him look like a Sicilian mafia. "Mr. Cowano," Mina read to herself the nameplate with his name. The second judge was a young red-haired man with a frankly bored expression; he could be described as handsome, if not for the sharp look in his eyes which made him look like an otter. According to the nameplate, he responded to Ail. The third member of the jury was splendid Fish Ay. In life, she was even more beautiful than in her videos, although she turned out to be very short in real life.

"What will you sing, Miss Aino?" asked the red-haired man. Ail.

\- "Diamonds" by Rihanna. - Minako`s voice trembled a bit. Excitement filled her body.

The song`s intro started. And Minako, drawing air into her lungs, began to sing:

"Eyes in the eye, full of life ... I chose to be happy ... .A total delight," - she was clear in her voice.

Starting the chorus, her voice began to gain amplitude: "Shine bright like a diamond, you and I, we are beautiful like diamonds in the sky. Shine bright like a diamond! "But during the third chorus, to her great horror, her voice started breaking. Minako clenched her fists and bravely continued, despite the vibrato and rattles. Feeling how her knees started shaking, she almost shouted into the microphone but did not stop singing. She needed to get this place, she needed to make her way in this city!

"Shine bright like a diamond, shine bright like a diamond," - her voice almost whispered to the last chords.

Sensing a trickle of sweat on her back, Mina looked at the judges with fear. To her surprise, they were not gloomy.

"It's a very difficult song." Fish broke the silence. "But you have a very beautiful pitch. Of course, you do not hit the highest notes, but we could work on it. I liked it, really. What would you say, guys?

The guy in the glasses somehow shrugged his shoulders incomprehensibly:

" Compared with the other ones this was, of course, much better. But in general, it is very raw. Still, I liked your will to finish the song. In our business, we appreciate this.

"Yes, I liked it the most as well," agreed the man with the mustache. "I am so sick of all these models with identical facial expressions. It's like as if we have to prostrate before them, simply because they advertise the "Dove" foam. Your effort was very decent. We'll take that into account, Miss Aino. In two hours there will be a second casting, if you pass, try again.

Not feeling her legs, Mina rushed to the door. She was definitely lucky today!

Two hours later, when the tired judges left for a coffee break, and their assistants began to prepare lists of the five remaining contestants, all the girls started impatiently staring at their phones-the results were to be published on the website. Ten minutes later, the hall was filled with curses and tears of desperate beauties who turned into furies in a moment and flew out of the building with curses. Minako checked her iPhone - she could not believe her eyes. She passed! The girl looked at Naru and immediately realized that she too was on the lucky list. The girls understood each other with a half-look and hugged each other tightly. They looked around and saw two perfectly calm pretenders. These pretty ladies took their passing to the next round in a very cool unemotional fashion. But the fifth girl was not there.

"And where is another one?" Mina whispered to Naru, looking suspiciously at the other two.

"I do not know. Let's ask".

And before Mina could object, Naru simply turned to the blonde with a short haircut.

"You're Doriana, are not you?" I think I saw you in a video.

"Well," the skinny blonde girl answered lazily, staring at her iPad in an exclusive case from Gucci.

"And I saw you, too." Naru turned to the brunette, with a long braid tightly tied with straps. "May?" You are a backup singer at the late night show "Evening with Eye".

The brunette nodded reluctantly and immediately lost interest.

"Do you know who might be the fifth contender and where is she?"

"Are you talking about Kat or what?" She drove off to her guy, they have some sort of fight. So she does not give a flying about this casting. Kat can either break her guy or lose her biggest sponsor. "Dorian and May laughed maliciously.

"Look at that" - Naru was visibly surprised, -" apparently not everyone takes this audition so seriously".

"Naru, let's have a cup of coffee, too," whispered Mina, looking at the pretentious ladies, "I do not want to spend the remaining half an hour with them."

Naru smiled and immediately agreed.

Putting two cups of cappuccino on the table, Mina quickly sat down on a chair.

"I'm treating you," Minako smiled at Naru stopping her attempts to draw the wallet.

The brown-haired girl nodded gratefully and took away her purse.

"Where did you come from?" Naru asked with interest, sipping her fragrant drink.

"From a deaf southern town, more like a village." All our pride is plantations and fields. Where it is necessary to plow day and night. So, this life is not for me.

"If honest, you do not look like a farmer, you have such pale and tender skin. Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you. It's not a bad thing to be a farmer." Naru blushed.

"What are you talking about?" The blond shook her head, sipping mineral water. "The skin gets burned out all the time, although I tried to spend as little time as possible in the sun. No, I belong here, I belong to this city.

"I hope you will succeed." Naru smiled sincerely, finishing her coffee.

"I am sure I will. Believe me". "Mina answered without a hint of a smile.

"By the way, let's be in touch. What's your number, Mina?"

Slightly hesitating, the blonde dictated the numbers and wrote Naru's number in response.

"It's easy to remember, two fives at the end," Naru said, keeping the number on the phone. "Oh!"

The girl's face twisted into a panic and embarrassment.

"What happened?" Mina asked, looking at her friend's face in a gray expression.

"Nothing," Naru whispered. "I'm sorry, I need to go to the bathroom."

Taking her things, the girl rushed, knocking everyone on her run. Mina stared at the girl`s back. Five minutes later, everyone got the message to gather in the same hall. Mina looked in the mirror and, taking a mug of Naru, threw it into the nearest litter box. In her purse, she had a pack of laxatives, an irreplaceable friend of frequent diets. Now, this packet was half empty.

"Where's Naru?" The guy in glasses asked sternly. "We were told that number three is out due to personal circumstances. Naru was number four. It means, she should compete with you, Minako".

Two other girls lazily looked at what was happening. Already established singers in their segment, they knew that they would automatically go to the main casting, which will be shown on TV.

"Her boyfriend was sick, and she decided to cancel her participation," Mina replied, and not a single muscle twitched on her face.

"What a pity" Fish was sincerely upset. "She's very talented. We need to confer.

A minute later, the judges announced the decision: the three remaining competitors were proceeding to the main casting! Mina stood on the stage, feeling with all her skin what real bliss. She made it.

* * *

Going home in a good mood (Setsuna gave her the key, and security inside the entire private sector now knew her), Mina shouted loudly:

"Anybody home?"

From the hall immediately appeared Yaten in a black turtleneck and gray jeans. He nodded silently.

\- Setsuna and Kunzite are in the living room, watching the program on Discovery about weapons. How was it?

Noting the approaching steps from the living room, Mina threw her head victoriously and rushed to Yaten's neck:

"I am in the next round." She whispered gently into his attractive lips. The muscles in his arms tensed, and his eyes darkened with the tone of her voice. He had to take great pains to control himself when she was acting like this.

"I'm incredibly happy, Mina," Yaten whispered hoarsely, his lips touching hers. His eyes sank into hers.

"How are you?" Mina smiled slyly, covering her eyes, knowing that she looked even more seductive like this.

"Not bad," Yaten smirked with the tips of his lips. "I accidentally stumbled upon some crazy agent and I was invited to a casting to one well-known group.

"Even so?" Mina's eyes were exaggerated. "Which one?"

"Three Lights." Yaten laughed out loud, squeezing the trembling Mina in her arms. "But I do not think that I have a good chance. Too popular. But why not to try?

"Welcome home, Mina," Setsuna said slightly embarrassed by the fact that she broke the intimate moment. "How did it go?"

"It went great!" Mina immediately responded and moved away from Yaten to his utter disappointment. "I'll tell you everything now."

After listening to the story twice (once for him and Setsuna, the second for two of them plus Kunzite, who was not particularly eager to know all the details), Yaten stretched himself wearily. In an hour it was dinner time, but he wanted to sleep intolerably. He thought to take a nap for half an hour while Mina was experiencing the second moment of glory, telling and even singing a song about diamonds. He went upstairs to their bedroom. Half an hour later, Mina joined him. They quietly lay on their bed, and slumber at the moment flew off the guy's face. He gently held Mina's face, making her smile. She had an amazing smile.

"Everything was SO, as you told us, wasn`t it?" The unexpectedly stern voice of the guy contrasted sharply with the good nature on his face.

"What are you talking about, Yaten?" Mina frowned. His fingers immediately became dangerous and cold. She scornfully threw them off her face.

"You know, Mina." You should not hide anything from me, "the guy said calmly, but there was a threat in his voice.

"I'm being honest with you, Yaten." She tried to look straight into the eyes of the discerning young man. "I'll never lie to you about important things. On things that matter in our lives. I'll never, never betray you".

The guy smiled strangely, and at that moment their conversation was interrupted by the sound of her iPhone. Mina's heart sank when she saw the number. Naru. Watching the guy with fear, Mina went out the door and responded coldly:

"Yes".

"There you are, bitch!" Naru's voice sounded hollow and, at the same time, embittered. "I went to the hospital because of dehydration. Did you know that this quantity of laxatives can kill?!

" I'm sorry that it happened."

"Are you sorry!?"

" Yes, it's a show business. You'll get another casting."

"I ... I'm just in shock. You are such a despicable and shameless human being. Aren`t you thinking to pay me a visit in the hospital?

"So that you could scratch the eyes out of me?"

-"Yeah ... I have no words. Don`t you wonder why I'm calling?

"Not really. If that`s all you wanted to say, then...

" No, not all. I wanted to show you the reality of show business. You stupid laxative option could never help you. In this city, everything is bought and sold. Through money, through communication, through sex. So, Yumino told me that you were thrown out of the project, that the fifth girl, Kat, settled the problems with her sponsor, the guy called Ail, and so on... They don`t give a damn about my or your voice. The band has already been decided. By my estimates, you are gonna receive a sad message in an hour or so. So yeah, it's show business, baby.

"You're lying," Mina exclaimed fiercely, and a hysterical laugh was a response to her.

Dropping the receiver, Mina began to furiously check her mailbox. Naru was wrong, the letter was not about to come in an hour, it was already waiting for her in the drawer. The production crew was very sorry, but the vacancy for the third place in the band was closed ("Liars!"). The phone almost fell out of the hands of the girl. Anger bubbled in her chest, but she pulled herself together. It was nothing. There was still time. Time for her to conquer this city ...

* * *

It was a dark night. The howl of the wind was wounding ears and leaving unpleasant sensation. In the desert territory, the wind drove some dry pieces of trees and old debris from the trailers. Dried curved trees, the only type surviving in this environment, were not adding to the aesthetics. And in the middle of this area, there was an old abandoned barn. And although it was the safest place to gather in it, the whole pack hated this place.

Dressed in ordinary clothes, without the usual black formal suits and bandaged masks (their sign famous for horrifying everyone), they sat on cold wooden chairs around a decaying table.

"I do not like this place," Cuniculus grumbled discontentedly, sipping cocoa from the thermos, thoughtfully fetched from home.

"And we are loving it one can think," Zingara said, irritated. She had a wild schedule and a desperate lack of sleep. The absence of Dexter was also getting on her nerves.

"Do not quarrel, girls." Misery said conciliatorily. She was the most balanced, although she had more reasons than anyone to be discontent with the management. "What is the news, Azazel?"

Azazel looked heavily right in front of him as if considering every word. Their pack, indeed, was experiencing a crisis. Betrayal of the two gave rise to common fears that their lives are in danger. Only the fear of Fermi and Casper before him- Azazel- stopped them from disclosing all the names of the Pack. They knew that Azazel would always manage to hide, but his retribution would be terrifying. Although, the fascination of these traitors with some girls from the Pack also played into Pack`s hands.

" Soon, there will be data on the location of Casper and Fermi ... Therefore, I gathered you".

"What about Tomoe?" Spacey interrupted him to Azazel`s disliking. He gave the rude assassin a hard look but said nothing.

" Everything goes according to our plan. We have already discussed this, girls will attack Tomoe. They are distracting, we are doing the traitors".

"Yes, I do not like this plan," Spacy said grumpily. Everyone exchanged a frightened look. Although de facto their leader was Mond, who was not present today, they knew that the supreme killer Azazel was a much more significant figure.

"The question is closed, Spacy. If there are any further questions, we will discuss them in private".

The guy was silent this time, but the nerves got displayed on his face, it was clear that he was angry.

"Three groups from now on are as follows: Cuniculus, Misery, and Zingara are engaged in Tomoe operation. To relieve one of us, I will only say that having lost three members of the Pack, we have simplified the task: you only need to explode Tomoe`s house. Trazom and Linnaeus, you are eliminating Casper. Spacy and Hawk, you're doing Fermi. Coordinates will be sent to you later.

"Who are you going to help?" Zingara looked surprised.

"Where my help will be needed the most," Azazel said grimly. And he did not hesitate to look at Spacy. He answered no less coldly.

There was excitement in the pack.

" What about the Prosecutor?"

"Mond wants to play," Azazel smirked. "But you can not touch him yet. "He's too dangerous".

"He imprisoned our Leader. I would not mind playing, either, "Linnaeus sharpened his teeth.

"And how are gonna do it?" Azazel's voice was colder than the iceberg. "What game are you gonna play with him?"

"The ordinary one," Linnaeus seemed surprised. "Ours. We will kidnap two close people. And to force him to choose".

"What if I tell you this man does not have such people. He is an orphan who achieved everything by himself. He has only one person whom he cherishes, and this is his fiancee, the one who is also an investigator in our case. Armed, dangerous, clever, but most importantly, she the only close person he has.

Linnaeus shrugged vaguely, and the conversation returned to the details of the upcoming assaults.

Five minutes later the barn was empty, and only a light cacao scent reminded that one of the most dangerous and cruel gangs in the whole country was gathering here. A flock of Avengers. Elusive vigilantes.


	4. Argument

A fresh wind entered the room through a slightly opened window leaf, and Kunzite greedily inhaled a rushing spirit of blossoming jasmine. Work was really getting on his nerves. The famous prosecutor, the darling of fate, as he was jokingly called among the colleagues, or the bloodhound, according to rumors spread among the criminals, he was reviewing the documents of the Vigilantes' hard case.

Everything seemed to fit perfectly - main witnesses were safe under reliable Witness Protection Program, and even he did not know their whereabouts; the testimony was recorded in the presence of witnesses and the gang leader was sitting under the reinforced guard of the federal forces.

But Kunzite`s soul was restless. And he knew the reason.

Mond.

A mysterious companion of Mamoru Chiba, his obvious passion- Kunzite remembered how Dexter's pupils darkened with rage at the only mention of her.

The major problem was that information was severely lacking. As all criminal groups of micro-level, they, of course, used the services of mercenaries, whisperers, and pickpockets, but they always managed to keep their identities hidden. All witnesses could only vaguely remember some girls wrapped in down jackets or referred to middlemen who slandered the left-wing youngsters. All these were fake ways. But they did dig up some information thanks to the department and his right hand Zoi.

Zoisite was a clever fellow who turned out to be a real catch for his department six years ago when he was transferred to them from the air force. Of course, Kun could not help admitting the fact that Zoisite idolized him, as it was a little embarrassing him. And slightly flattering at the same time. Yet, it was Zoicite whom Kunzite saw as a possible successor.

There was a knock at the door, and Kunzite smiled when he saw Setsuna's face.

"Zoi came with an expert. Can we eat dinner first? You're going to starve the boys, I know you, "she begged. Despite the fact that she rarely cooked, this apron made her look incredibly seductive, Kunzite thought to himself.

"No." Kunzite shook his head. "Food will wait. Tell them to come in".

When two young men came in, Kunzite nodded to both and pointed to the chairs. His study was luxurious unlike the entire house featuring stylish minimalism. A huge area with heavy curtains and furniture made from antique oak. And although black colors prevailed throwing their reflection onto a long rectangular table and functional chairs, dim lamps were bringing refined sensuality to the interior.

"Boss Tomoe is happy as hell! - Zoisite, a bright red-haired guy with eternal laughter in his green eyes, started. "Everything goes smoothly, and when we fantastically close this case, he will be awarded a medal and promotion, and we will get his slobbery kisses and hugs. But he does not understand the purpose with all these additional measures.

"I did not expect anything from him," replied Kunzite sternly. "But I have all the freedom of action." Rubeus, you red-headed beast, did you look at the nicknames and descriptions?

"Not a redheaded beast, but Dr. Rubes please" the guy with red hair coughed and rolled his eyes. - Freaks.

All three loudly laughed - everyone in the department liked to poke Rubeus, a young psychologist with a doctorate degree from a famous university. To the surprise of many, this criminal psychologist was, indeed, very talented.

"So," Rubeus began and pulled out his iPad. - What we are dealing with: Mond is a deputy leader. I can say for sure - Mond is a woman.

A heavy silence settled in the study. Kunzite tried to hide a smile, while Zoy did not restrain himself and began to giggle vilely.

"Very funny," Rubéus growled. "Dexter might very well be gay, but after talking to him, it's definitely off the table."

"He called Mond" she "by the way," squeaked Zoy shaking from laughter.

"He could try to knock us off the trail," Rubéus said, raising his eyebrows. - Anyway, I thought Mond might mean something related to the moon. In German, Mond means the moon. Maybe she's a sleepwalker? Or was born when the moon was full? But if you assume that she her zodiac is related to the moon, then judging by astrology, she belongs to a hidden type, she is a latent leader, but at the moment of crisis, she can coordinate all the resources. I would not write her off.

"What about the others?" Kunzite asked.

"Azazel." Well, according to the characteristics that you sent me it can only mean one thing: he is the angel of death, he is the chief assassin among them. Most likely he is someone who used to be on our side - he does not leave any traces, and only a professional can frighten all those middlemen so much. "Cuniculus" - most likely a woman, but I will not say anymore. "Spacey" is probably a man. "Trazom" is likely a man. "Misery" is likely a woman. "Zingara" is likely a woman. "Hawk" and "Linnaeus" are likely men.

"And Rubeus is likely to have bought his diploma," Zoy could not help laughing. "What kind of analysis is this, Ru?"

"What do you want!? I'm not a psychic, I'm a psychologist. You did not give me practically any information except "one is Dexter woman" and "one is the main killer". You need to look for info, and then give it to Uncle Ru. And only then can any analysis happen".

"Okay. Do not be angry, "Kun said in a conciliatory tone. "You are right -there is just not enough data. But Setsuna is working on it. It takes time cause she is also organizing the protection of the Kaczynski family. And now, guys, it is dinner time".

To the surprise and joy of Kunzite, there was no Mina and Yaten during the dinner - Yaten was participating in a night casting for advertising, and Mina went to bed early. Over the past week, this girl really got on Kunzite`s nerves with her chatter and eternal complaints about this rotten world of show business where everything is bought. She was a quite a negative person and these daily castings and refusals did not contribute to her mood.

When guests left, praising an amazing roast beef Kun went up to the study to work, despite the timid protests of the bride. He woke up only when the clock in the study showed three in the morning. Quietly cursing, the guy got up from the table and headed for the kitchen. He desperately needed an orange juice with ice.

Entering the kitchen, the young man rolled his eyes. The blonde girl was taking out a jar of milk out of the fridge. Kunzite almost turned around but got ashamed at his thoughts. She's not a criminal after all. You still need to control your emotions, he said to himself.

"Oh, Kunzite," Mina raised her eyebrows, pouring the milk into the glass, "I have not seen you for a hundred years. Have you moved out?"

"Very funny" the guy muttered, not letting the girl close the refrigerator and getting out the freshly-squeezed orange juice. "How are you?"

"Not so nice," she sighed heavily. "In this city, everything is bought and sold, but I do not have enough resources. Do not worry though. I will definitely make it here."

"I did not worry at all".

Mina rolled her eyes.

"Your rudeness overshadows even Yaten `s. And this speaks for itself". - she drank ice milk from a glass and gazed at the moon, shining directly on them through a wide window.

Kunzite's breath got caught for a moment. In the moonlight, Mina, dressed in a man's white shirt, seemed particularly affectionate and unprotected. Her fair hair was cast in gold, and her snow-white skin seemed almost transparent. Silence completed this image.

"Do you have any connections, Kunzite? You are, in fact, kinda famous in this city of sins, - the voice of the blonde trembled a bit.

"Well, let's say," Kunzite said absently, twirling a glass with untouched juice in his fingers, not noticing how Mina's pupils darkened. "Why all this thirst for glory, Mi ..

The image of Mina appeared right in front of him and did not let him finish. Everything was the same. Moonlight, a silent girl, a white, buttoned shirt. And then everything changed. Passion and arrogant lust filled her eyes. She knew her worth. Their faces were only a couple of centimeters apart, and Kunzite did not have to finish the best Academy of Detectives to understand what the impudent girl was about to do.

" What's the matter? his voice was sharp.

" If you have connections, - nougat and molasses flowed from her words, twisting the mind, - Why not help ... And in return, I will repay.

"How? - the same even voice and haughty cold look. She stood so close that he could see the contours of her nipples under her shirt.

"What do you mean?" Mina smirked and licked her beautifully-outlined lips.

"What about Yaten?"

Mina frowned, but then her forehead was still, and the same suffocating whisper flowed into his ears.

\- I love him. And only him. But this is all for our good.

"If I understand correctly, you offer me, your sister's husband, yourself in exchange for a couple of contacts with whom you are likely also gonna "have fun"?

Evil lights lit blue eyes, but she managed to control herself.

"I will not push anyone, dear. Just introduce me to someone and you will not regret it."

The tension between them reached such a climax that Mina shivered slightly, and her shiny skin got filled with goosebumps. If Kunzite did not know the insolent nature of this girl, he would have thought that she was worried or afraid. But the shivers were for a different reason. And he will teach her a lesson.

"Show me what you can," Kunzite whispered and looked into the blue eyes of the blonde beauty.

Goosebumps became even bigger. But Mina's hands were already on Kunzite's shoulders and her lips were already reaching for his neck when a strong slap on the face knocked off the course. She reached for him, standing on her tippy-toes, and a sudden, humiliating, though not strong slap, threw her all the way to the floor. For a moment, Kunzite was seized by something resembling fear, when he saw the veil of golden hair concealing her face. But a moment later she rose again, her eyes, twisted with anger and humiliation, stared at him.

"Listen to me, you, you try this another time, and you will regret this all your life. Got it? "

Without waiting for an answer, and not seeing the tears that streamed down her cheeks, Kun turned sharply on his heels and headed for the bedroom. Lying next to the bride and falling into a heavy sleep, he still could not get rid of some gnawing sense of guilt and the wrongness of what was happening. He struck a woman for the first time in his life.


	5. Azazel and Zingara

The night was rough. Unpleasant black darkness was turning streets inside out, while the starless sky was covered with a heavy hood of fog, and dry wind irritated the skin. Zingara wrapped in a woolen shawl was peering into the sky through the dirty window of a remote motel. The door behind her creaked unpleasantly.

"You're late, my love," she didn`t turn her head, surprised at her own indifference.

The guy grinned and approached her with an inaudible cat's gait. She turned sharply, and their eyes met. The grin fell from the man's face with misunderstanding quickly taking its place.

"What's the matter?" he asked cautiously.

"Everything is so wrong. The group is falling apart, the cops are close and there is more and more unrest inside the flock. Sometimes I feel that the end is near. Call it intuition or the seventh sense, but it's true. " she shrugged her shoulders and stubbornly looked at her partner.

"You seem to have burned out at work or just got too comfortable with your role, my love," the beautifully outlined lips of the guy formed a smile, but the green eyes were ice-cold. "Believe me, you're neither a fortune teller or a psychic."

"I am not kidding. All my premonitions came true. What happened to Fermi and Casper ...

Icy eyes became even colder.

"It's funny to hear these names from you. Even funnier that you think you predicted something. Had you told me right away that Fermi was in love with you and approached, we would have never been in this shit.

"Oh, it's my fault!" fire lit beautiful black eyes. "You really think YOU are in any position to blame me?!

"Being your boyfriend ..." his voice sounded tart in the ringing silence, "If this, of course, means something to you."

"Do not start, Azazel" black eyes narrowed.

"As your boyfriend," Azazel said unperturbedly, "I believe that I have a right to know about all your annoying admirers. Especially, when they are members of our group. Especially, when I trust them as my own brothers. Especially when they, knowing about our relationship, begin to cross my road.

"And what would you have done, Azazel, had told you about Jadeite`s feelings? You would solve the problem in the usual way, wouldn`t you? Cut his throat?

"No, I would be moved that the jerk fell in love with you. And I would patiently wait, what`s gonna happen next, when the unspent love hormones of our engineer will prompt him either put a bomb in my car or to go and sell us to all cops.

"You know," Azazel's lips curved in a grin. "I'm starting to find a positive side that he went to the cops. He just planted Dexter. He could have killed me instead. You really are a sorceress, my love. How else to explain my sudden gratitude to this traitor.

The brunette looked at her lover with hatred. She was finally realizing his true nature. Suddenly, memories flooded her hear showing the moment when pale Jadeite, nicknamed as Fermi —their best pyrotechnic and engineer— fell on his knees and confessed his feelings. And his beautiful words, his sincerity, sparkling from the corners of light eyes, could not help but touch emotional her. Butterflies fluttered in the belly, but she did not dare to admit it then even to herself.

She, of course, refused. Of course, as Fermi had already known, she had a boyfriend. The most dangerous member of their team. Assassin Azazel. Fermi was upset and devastated, but not surprised. But he blurted out his plans ... He told her that he could no longer with them. Could no longer not kill innocent women and children. And Casper, or Nephrite, his best friend was in the same boat. And this confession burned Zingara's soul. After all, it did prove Azazel`s point. She was obliged to report on these desertions. But she could not. She hoped they would just run away. Or maybe her soul was preoccupied with something else ... But this was a scary thought to have right now. Especially, when the soulless eyes of a professional killer undress and cut you in small pieces.

"Have you ever loved anyone?" Zingara asked, wrapping her cigarette around her lips. Fingers nervously searched for a cigarette lighter in a small purse. Azazel's thin fingers complacently brought fire, and Zingara with pleasure inhaled the smoke.

"I love you," Azazel said casually as if he had not noticed the sharp change in the subject.

Now it was time for the brunette to grin. She even made a couple of laughs.

"And I did actually love you. When all this was just starting ... I have always been into mysterious and cold guys. Blondes. Those who are very good at what they are doing. A former secret service guy… What kind of girl would be able to resist?

The girl took a deep breath as if regretting her attraction and taste.

"When I joined the flock," Zingara raised her voice, "I immediately noticed you. I, a spoiled girl from the family of a wealthy arms dealer, had never heard the word "no" in my life and I knew that you would be mine. You entered my heart. Like a knife through butter. This is a bad comparison, but it really felt that way. In the beginning, every moment with you seemed like a paradise. But only in the beginning…

Azazel looked at her with the same unpleasant grin.

"Is that a farewell speech, love? We are still together. I still love you".

"Stop!" the brunette burst into tears, and threw the cigarette on the floor, stomping it with her heel. "Stop lying!" You ... you simply wanted me…my body… You still enjoy our intimacy. I know you've never cheated on me. You`ve always behaved like an exemplary guy. If this is only possible in our abnormal double life. But you never loved me! You never shined when you saw me! You never looked at me like Je .., - the girl sharply bit her lip.

The icy eyes narrowed, and the man started to look like a demon. The one whose nickname he was called. Cold fingers lifted her chin.

"Go on," his whisper frightened more than a shout. - Go on... Did Jadeite have a chance? And I it was me who was in a way…

"Even if that's the case," the black-eyed hatred fiercely met the calmness of the emerald. - Even if so. Maybe I felt something. But can you blame me for this! Nobody ever looked at me like he did. And all these years me lusting for love. Because of you".

Azazel heaved in silence.

"You go to cops, I'll kill your father."

The brunette bit her lips bitterly.

"And that's all you heard, Azazel. I will not go anywhere. I just talked about my feelings that you can`t even understand. Because you're a sociopath."

Azazel put his fingers through his long hair, as if not hearing what she just told him.

"I'm not a sociopath."

"You're a sociopath!"

"No, and I can easily prove it. You know how I feel about Dexter."

Zingara exhaled deeply and disappointedly. Touché". She knew that Azazel loved Dexter as a kin. These two were ready to sacrifice their lives for each other. At least until the moment when Mond appeared.

"I can only imagine how difficult it must be for you right now. You have to work directly with the one who stole your best friend. With Mond".

At the sound of her name, something flashed in Azazel's eyes, something that Zingara did not catch and sour feeling filled he as if she had missed something. Something very important, otherwise why his muscles and veins tensed up. But a second later he was his usual calm self.

"She is a loyal member of our team. She loves Dexter. Nothing else matters".

"She's fickle. But most importantly, she's cruel, "Zingara shook her head. "That`s why it was so hard for Cuniculus and Misery and me to take her into our circle. "

"And you three are not cruel? We all do one dirty work."

" We do this because of our beliefs. Cuniculus has this extreme sense of justice... But Mond looks like someone who enjoyed putting people in front of terrible choices. It's she who is the director and scriptwriter of our horrors …"

"And you are the main actress in them. And Trazom is the main composer. And I'm the one who conducts the execution. But it does not change anything. And believe me, Mond is not as cruel as you think.

"Why?" for the first time Zingara looked at the young man with interest. Azazel looked into the void outside the window. He was silent, not knowing whether it was worth sharing with the one who was no longer with him…

"She's in love with Dexter. She fell under his influence. She could have become a talented screenwriter or writer. She could have created masterpieces. But instead, she fell under his influence, and to impress him she started creating scenarios of executions and tortures.

A shadow of weightless sadness filled Azazel's voice. It was not clear who caused this sadness- Mond, who let her soul drift away, or Dexter who corrupted the talent or to Azazel himself, who lost his best friend.

"I do not understand her," Zingara said honestly. "Only Cuniculus is kinda close to her." But even for her, she's a mystery.

Azazel shrugged indefinitely.

"Are we together?" he asked with some doubt in his voice.

"Yes," Zingara answered quietly. Staying alone in these difficult times was not an option. And even though she did not love him anymore, she was still attracted to him.

Azazel smiled broadly and pulled her onto the bed, painfully grabbing her hands…


	6. Progress

The starting dawn lit the room making girl`s hair look like liquid gold. Mond looked at the newcomer a poorly concealed smile. Azazel was composed, but his burning eyes were screaming that his night hadn't been bad at all.

"I hope you conveyed my greetings to Zin from me," the girl said softly, jumping down from the windowsill and approaching the guy.

Calm Azazel took off his jacket and neatly hung it on the back of the table. He rubbed his eyes wearily:

"I need at least three hours to sleep. Otherwise, my concentration is gone."

"No problem," the girl said carelessly, "Everything is going according to our plan. Well, that is, at least how it looks. I still have doubts about Kaczynski and Dexter's reaction. He may not like it.

Azazel gave the girl a surprised glance. The idea with Kaczynski was entirely hers.

"You yourself said it was the only way. And I agreed with you. We will never be able to free Mamoru without this multi-staged operation.

The girl exhaled heavily and tiptoed towards the opposite wall. Carefully pushing aside the plant, the girl checked the eavesdropper suppressor. It was working. But caution never is never redundant. Especially when it comes to such incredible risk.

"The idea is good in general, but I do not like that in case of failure we frame the girls. We have never sent an incomplete team before ... Especially, I'm worried about Cuniculus ... You know.

"I get it," the guy grinned wryly, "Even if I did not get, that annoying Spacey would not let me forget. Had it been up to him, he'd have kidnapped Cuniculus and would've told us to fuck off. I'm starting to think that it was a big mistake to allow all these love-relationships in the flock.

"Then you wouldn't date Zingara yourself."

"I would have survived."

A heavy silence filled the room. Azazel`s beautiful face turned into a grimace.

"We can not risk everyone on Kaczynski. We are all down. Even if they get caught, nothing will happen, as long as one of us is free. Especially you. You're the heiress of this gang, Mond. You are the Queen of the Avengers. Whether you like it or not. But I warned you from the beginning. I told you that if you enter the Flock there is no way back.

"You said that I will be with the Flock forever, but you did not say that I will be in charge. I didn't know that I would have to face such hard decisions.

"It was easy to predict, considering that the one who was the reason you joined us was our leader," the guy interrupted her irritably. - "Or did you think that everything will always be fine? You did not enter the monastery. We're criminals, Mond."

The girl shook her head slightly, as she always did when she tried to keep herself from anger or words that later she could pity.

"I'm trying, I'm the one who came up with the whole bloody operation plan like you said." You've always been against me, haven't you, Azazel? Cause I have always been the one who kidnapped your friend and brother".

"Stop, - excessive drama always strained the guy, - I've never been against you or anyone else. Mamoru is an adult and chooses whom to be with. In the beginning, there were just precautions. We can not let everyone in. Although, as you can see, even proven people like Jed and Nef can fail. Although I agree that it was too much to kill that boy Helios ... He was just a child. It was Mamoru's mistake. Or that crazy father who chose his wife".

The girl was gloomily silent, admitting he was right.

"What will we do with Spacey if the operation with Kaczynski fails? Does he know about Plan B? " asked Mond.

"He knows, of course," Azazel replied indifferently. "Otherwise, why would he behave like this? But he has no choice. We are all connected, plus subordination still has mattered. You ordered I delivered, and he shall obey.

Mond felt uncomfortable. To make it worse, this idea with Plan B was not even hers, but Azazel`s. He was more than just a "message deliverer ", but for some reason, he was refusing to admit it… At the same time, good luck to the one who can explain all this to Spacey. Games of Thrones, damn it. Especially since the whole operation was planned, indeed, Mond.

"And he ... he did not ask why I was not in Cuniculus`s place?" - the girl asked quietly.- Why it is not me who is attacking Kachinsky, whereas Cuniculus could be in my place, i.e. complete safety ...

"Would you like to exchange places with her?" the guy asked sharply, no longer hiding his annoyance. "Honestly, I think I'm going crazy with all of you."

"I do not know," the girl looked at the floor. "I'm so tired of all these schemes and manipulations. Especially since you remember what I promised Cuniculus.

The guy exhaled deeply.

"Yes, and I already said what a fool you are, that you promised her something that is not in your power. We are all on a "suicide" mission, Mond. But as I explained, you must be as protected as possible, if we all fall, you must fall last, as you are our last hope of freedom. This is our priority. Secondly, and we already discussed this, and Cuniculus agreed, that it is very difficult to play a role when you have your other interests at stake. I think Fermi with his feelings for Zingara was a great lesson to us all. If you go to war, leave your feelings behind. This is your only advantage. Thirdly, Cuniculus is one of the best burglars in the country. She is more useful than you.

"If anything happens to her, Spacey will never forgive us," Mond said with a sigh.

Azazel smirked laying down on the bed and turning away from the girl. The conversation was over.

Kunzite was sitting in the office, looking gloomily in front of him. He slept badly and woke up at dawn. The clock showed 8 am, which meant that he had been in his office for two hours. Setsuna went on duty early in the morning and that's why she did not find out what had happened at night. Perhaps it was for the best. She would never forgive him for slapping her sister if she found out. Not that he was going to tell her ... Kunzite looked longingly at the satellite phone, which was always fastened to his belt with his holster. He could just dial a couple of digits, and he would hear the most wished voice of his bride. And then panic, full combat readiness and so on would follow… There was an expensive price to hear the voice of the one who was to arrive in a week.

The operation "Protection" was one of the most, if not the most secret, in the entire history of their department. Former members of the flock, Jadeite (nicknamed Fermi) and Nephrite under the nickname Casper, were their main assets and hopes to catch the whole gang. They were housed in two different houses under enhanced protection by the four best agents, among whom was the investigator Setsuna. All information about their whereabouts was classified, and access to it was only directly from those who guarded them. Even Kunzite did not know their addresses, and it was for the best. His satellite phone was the only means of communication with Setsuna and Michiru that guarded Jadeite, and the operatives Haruka and Mako, who guarded the Nephrite. Therefore, this phone was the most valuable thing in the world. He did not even dare to leave it in the safe and carried it with him everywhere.

Kunzite attached the phone to the belt. "You need to stop going crazy and just go down to the kitchen, find Minako and apologize".

She was to blame, but there were many options to put her in place without assault.

Going down to the kitchen, Kunzite found only Minako, who was watching the musical on TV, climbing with her feet on the sofa. She had a cup of flakes, richly poured with milk and honey in her hands.

"Good morning! Sit down to have breakfast. Yaten is still asleep, and I'm an early bird! "Minako laughed loudly and waved to gloomy Kunzite, who did not expect such a reaction. He thought she would sulk and be offended. For some reason, her cheerful reaction did not change his gloomy mood, but only irritated him even more. Now she will pretend that this night was did not happen, making it hard for him to apologize.

\- "The sin of Eve she has in her I know so well For want of her I know I'd give my soul to sell! - suddenly sang along Minako, - "Belle, this gypsy girl is there a soul beneath her skin!"

The sound of the musical rattled him even more. As if to spite him, he thought to himself.

"Switch the channel," Kunzite said sternly. "Or turn it off altogether."

"Actually, I'm watching!" the girl tried to outrage, without even thinking to obey and increased the sound instead. "One day I'll play the part of Esmeralda instead of this mediocre Hino …"

Minako sighed and glared at the lead actress of the musicals. Ray Hino. Even with the most perverted mind would not be dare to call her mediocre. But Minako had apparently her own criteria.

Kunzite shifted his gaze to the screen when the ad of the same musical started. The ad included episodes from the live show, dance of the gypsy girl by the fire, a symphony by the orchestra and suddenly a face appeared, at the sight of which Kunzite twisted inside. His former best friend, and now the worst enemy. Diamond. The prince of musicals in their city of angels.

Kunzite silently approached the huge plasma and turned it off. Surprised Minako looked at him.

"About what happened yesterday. I'm sorry.."

Minako interrupted him with a giggling laugh. Amused and shocked Kunzite stared at the girl, suddenly noticing the dimples that appeared on the blonde's face.

\- Come on, I behaved like a total freak. Believe me, this was on me, and you did the right thing. It is just that last casting was such a failure that it really got me…

Kunzite couldn't hide his surprise at such a conscious speech by a stupid blonde. Her forgiveness might seem like a trick, but she seemed really and absolutely fine.

Minako jumped off the couch and walked over to the TV turning it on again. The advertisement passed and now the old pop song filled the room.

"Backstreet boys!" - screamed Minako, throwing an empty plate and a spoon and dancing.

Dancing some crazy dance she sang along.

\- "Am I original"! - Minako was screaming louder than TV .- "Am I sexual"! Oh, yes, Nick, baby, you're still sexy! "EVERYBODY"!

Waving her hands to music, she headed towards Kunzite, intending to capture him in her crazy dance. But the latter's icy mine stopped any such thoughts. The girl turned and, still moving vigorously with her whole body, began to shake her head with such energy that the golden hair simply flew in front of Kunzite. He smelled the fresh smell of shampoo and some perfume. For some reason, this time it did not seem so annoyingly sweet.

"Minako," Kunzite said with a slight smile as the song ended, and Minako, exhausted, fell on the sofa. "Do you have plans next Friday? I would like to introduce you to someone…"

—-

In a much better mood, Kunzite sat at his desk and looked at the documents. To drive into the office did not make much sense since he could do all the work at home. More precisely, the main work was done by Setsuna and others, guarded by two main witnesses. From Mamoru there was no use, he only snapped and did not say anything new.

Kunzite thought about the Kaczynski family, 10 agents were assigned to them, among them one of the best, Yuchiro. A former member of the criminal group, Yuchiro received an amnesty, passed the academy and became one of the best in their Department.

Minako .. Kunzite did not quite understand this girl, but the fact that despite all her negative qualities, she did not hold offense at him, and was not going to tell Setsuna anything, softened him. That was the reason he promised her this meeting. Of course, he was not going to take her to Diamond, no matter how much Setsuna hinted at it. No, he was going to introduce her to his informant, the successful producer, and owner of the clubs Kaitou Ace. Not that Ace would light up with joy when he sees the encrypted message about the meeting. But he will feel better when he realizes that this time he does not have to report on anyone, but simply help with one's career. Kunzite grimaced at the thought. Of course, he did not like all this. But it was a chance that the blonde would fly to Celebrity Olympus and leave.

When the bell rang. Kunzite went down to open the door, not surprised at such punctuality of his guests. Rubeus was up to the minute punctual.

To his annoyance Kunzite saw hat the guests were already let in, and Minako was cutely chirping something to Rubeus, Zoisite, and Yuchiro.

"To my office," Kunzite ordered gloomily. What does she think she is, he thought, the hostess?

"Kunzite, as always, Look at me, I am an all-furious mood?" Zoisite asked, laughing half-jokingly.

"May I bring you coffee?" the girl asked hospitably, again irritating Kunzite.

"Yes, thank you! - the guests responded in unison. Kunzite signed heavily.

Climbing the stairs, they saw Yaten, who politely greeted everyone. Rubeus didn't hide his interest when he saw the ashy hair color of a stranger. Closing the heavy wooden door of the office, Kunzite looked irritably at his guests.

"You did not say that you have a future pop star," Zoisite said.

Kunzite wasn't even surprised that for during those thirty seconds that he was going down to the door, Minako had time to tell them about her dream. She probably sang as well.

"I mentioned that Setsuna's cousin and her boyfriend stay with us".

"The blond is her boyfriend? I thought that`s your relative. You have the same hair color " Rubeus added.

Kunzite rolled his eyes.

"Rubeus, I'm beginning to doubt your competence as an expert."

The guy breathed an offended breath.

"You do not understand. You have an unusual shade of hair, platinum. This is rare, especially when crossing it is a regressive shade. Therefore it is not surprising that in 100 years only close relatives will have such a shade. Your children will not have this shade since Setsuna has a very dominant color.

Kunzite pretended to look interested, although he knew it all. All this he had already heard in the orphan boarding school, from their biology teacher. Back then he and Diamond, two orphaned boys with a rare platinum hair color, even though that they can be related by blood. But, alas, it was not so. Nevertheless, prior to the incident at the university with Setsuna, they were like brothers.

"Then maybe you should have children with this golden-haired cousin? The blonde is not that dominant color, "Zoicite joked, and immediately got Kunzait's wicked look back.

"I see that the cousin does not give you rest," Kunzite said coldly. "Maybe you can approach her yourself."

"Alas!" Zoisite shook his head, "you know that my heart is given to my Ami."

It was true. Two years ago Zoisite met a beautiful blue-eyed girl with a fashionable short haircut in the library. One of the best general surgeons in the city at her age of 28, Ami Mitsuno was a rare phenomenon in the world of medicine and came to the management library to find some special book. Zoisite fell in love at first sight… He was hitting on Ami for a long time, as the beautiful doctor was not immediately struck by a red-haired police guy. But all this paid off when, three months later, they started dating. And three months later, he even managed to make her the chief surgeon of their Police and Intelligence Department. Yes, they had their own personal hospital. If earlier such a prerogative was only for the special services and the military, thanks to the latest reforms and their special status, the administration managed to extract certain privileges. The chefs were ready to carry Zoycite in their arms for such a find as Ami; many hospitals and institutions fought for her, but in the end, Ami decided to work only at their department. Where her Zoi was. She saved many lives, both criminals, and cops. But the cases, when she was powerless, were plenty too, of course, were. And at such moments Ami was inconsolable and blamed only herself.

"Okay, let's change the subject. What do you want, Rubeus?"

"I know you will not like it," Rubéus said cautiously and looked at the eavesdropper in the form of a small mobile phone in the middle of the table. "But I can not guess by stars and produce the result. I need to talk to Jadeite and Nephrite."

"Out of discussion," Kunzite cut out. "We've already spoken. Their location is classified, in the most extreme cases, I can go there. In the most extreme cases.

"I mean the phone," the expert said quietly.

"It's not a phone, it's an emergency means of connection," the blond man said. "I can not call them just like that. Especially since I said, both Jadeite and Nephrite refuse to say anything about the other members of the gang. All they said was Jiba and aliases of others, and that's only because we knew most of the nicknames except a couple.

"I will not ask about anything specifically. I just want to understand why they got their nicknames. If I understand the principle, it will be easier to approach others".

Kunzite was silent, like the others. It made sense. But he could not risk their location. Even hearing their voices seemed dangerous.

"Maybe you can call Setsuna and ask her to ask," Yuchiro said suddenly. He had a hoarse, slightly smoky voice.

Kunzite was still silent, torn by the rules and the desire to hear the voice of his beloved. If it is for the job.

"To hell with it," breathed Kunzite, "especially cause this is for the job."

He took the phone off his belt and quickly clicked on the speed dial. There were only two sets, Setsuna, and Haruka.

"Kunzite!" - when he heard Setsuna's utterly alarmed voice, he immediately regretted agreeing to this idea. He heard the gun being removed from the fuse somewhere in the distance.

"Do not worry, Setsuna," the guy said sternly. "It's all right. We wanted to ask you to ask our guest about something ...

Having made a similar call to Haruka, and having heard from her a portion swearing for using the phone for other purposes, Kunzite put the phone in front of him on the table. All three looked at the phone tensely, as if expecting some kind of magic.

Suddenly the door opened without a knock and a smiling blonde with a tray came into the office. There were three cups of coffee on the tray.

"I'm very good at making coffee, believe me, "Minako said in a flamboyant tone, handing out cups to everyone.

Kunzite sipped his drink and almost spit it out.

"Minako, the coffee is cold!" - The guy angrily looked at the shining blonde.

"Well, yes," Minako said roundly, "it's ice coffee. The biggest hype of this season".

"Where is the ice?" Kunzite exclaimed angrily, feeling the laughing glances of Rubeus and Yuchiro, who sharply put their cups on the table.

"Why?" Minako asked innocently. "Coffee`s already cooled down, I've tried."

"You just left the coffee to cool down and call this ice coffee?!"

"Well, yes," the blond girl lost her patience. "And what's wrong?"

"All right, Minako," Zoisite said softly.

Smiling at Zoicite and rolling her eyes at Kunzite, which caused a dose of laughter from Zoisite, Minako disappeared from the room.

"Give her time, Kunzite. She is new in this big city, "Zoisite said in a conciliatory voice.

Kunzite only sighed heavily, and then the phone rang. Ten minutes later they already knew that Enrico Fermi was the idol of Jadeite, and Casper was one of the first projects of Nephrite.

"I do not understand," Zoisite shook his head.

But Rubeus changed, a transformed expression of extreme concentration appeared on his face, and his fingers fluttered over the laptop.

"Yes," he breathed after 10 minutes. Everyone looked attentively at the red-haired expert.

" It was easy with Jadeite. It was one of my initial guesses, with him. We already knew that he had an engineer diploma. And he was in the special forces, where he had acquired some important skills. According to colleagues, he is strong and modest. That's all that I dug on him, interviewing former co-workers. However, they would be very surprised to learn that over the past three years all of the most spectacular explosions of the Avengers were the thanks to Jadeite. He is their main pyrotechnical expert. Enrico Fermi is the creator of the atomic bomb, so I'm sure he took his name as a pseudonym. Jadeite

"Have you ever tried to use google and find out about Fermi?" Zoisite asked acidly.

"Well, they've done it, since it's so clever," Rubeus said angrily. "You know how many of these Fermis are on the Internet. I needed to know which one. Maybe he's their composer, and this is Fermi from some sketch. In the end, we know that they have a unique music, and it acts very intimidatingly on the victims.

"It was harder with Nephrite, but then I realized it was in English, and that's an abbreviation." CASPAR (CASPAR). It was a project of the European Union ten years ago on a digital pre-reservation. Very serious and expensive project. And Nephrite Seijoin was one of the technical experts at the age of 16. Probably, it was his first serious wage, where he probably was noticed by the Flock. Nephrite is the one who hunted victims on the Internet, the one who blocked their cards, the one who brought the virus into our computers last year and paralyzed the whole system. He's a hacker of the Flock, and I'm damn glad he's not with them."

"I would not be so happy." Kunzite shook his head. "The flock may well have other hackers and pyrotechnical experts."

"Most likely, yes," Rubéus was not surprised. "But these two are serious people. And I'm glad that they are not on the side of enemies. But now I'll go and look at the names of others. Part of the logic is clear to me.

A minute later the guests left, and Kunzite stayed at the table. After some thinking, he took the cups still full of black coffee and gently poured dark liquid into the sink, which was in the bathroom adjacent to the office. After pouring out, he took empty cups and began to go down to the kitchen. But Minako was no longer there. Kunzite disappointedly put the cups in the sink and went back to his room.

—

Someone was pushing hard at the door, and sleepy Naru (she still slept after the hospital) opened the door.

"You?" Naru was about to close the door, but the small foot did not let her do it sneakily stepping on the doorstep.

"I came to apologize!" Minako begged. "Please let me come in. I have great news!

Not knowing why Naru stepped aside and let her rival into the doorway.

"You have exactly one minute."

"You will not believe it, but my sister's husband turned out to have some nice connections. And next week I will meet — you won't believe— Kaitou Ace himself!

"You must be kidding!" Naru's eyes widened. "And even if it's true, why are you telling me this?" Came to show off?

"No, - for the first time, Minako was embarrassed, - I ... I wanted to apologize, I really did not think that it would all work out. My boyfriend really got mad at me when he found out. Forgive me. But the main thing is, how do you look at creating a band where those three girls went, not a trio, but a duo? I think we would look good together. I'm just burning to look at their faces when they see us on top of success!"

"Are you raving?" Naru looked at her with interest. "Even if you met with Ace, that does not mean that he will give you anything."

"Believe me," Minako smiled with a devilish smile and narrowed her eyes so that her face instantly transformed her. "He will give me ... He will give me all I want.. I'm sure. So, you accept my offer as an excuse?

Naru looked doubtfully at the dangerous blonde. What did she have to lose after all?

"Yes, but this is the last time I trust you, Minako."

"Believe me, you will not regret it," Minako smiled and left the door, leaving behind a scent of clean floral perfume.


	7. In the club

Spinning in front of the mirror, Mina was critically examining her image. She liked what she saw. Long, slender legs covered with black leather pants, a gray blouse casually unbuttoned with two buttons with a great cleavage view. 12-cm pumps complemented the look.

"You`re so gonna fall" Yaten smiled lightly.

The girl arched a perfectly-drawn eyebrow in response and smiled to her reflection.

"Do I have to go?" the guy sighed heavily.

The blonde startled and turned fast to him. A strict furious look on her face spoke louder than any words. The guy sighed again. It was decided: he was in.

* * *

Extremely loud house music was flowing from massive speakers. Young and hot bodies were furiously shaking to this cacophony of sounds, making the passage to the bar almost impossible. That, of course, upset Kunzite. Sending mental curses to Setsuna and Zoisite, who be blamed for ending up here, Kunzite started breaking through the crowd to the much-desired gin and tonic.

Last week was surprisingly good. Rubeus barricaded himself in the office and snapped at anyone trying to pull him out of the office, which was a good sign. This usually meant that he was on the right track. The court documentation was well underway, and all the evidence was correctly recorded. House Kaczynski was guarded 24/7. The inaction of the Pack felt, of course, odd, but on the other hand, it was quite predictable. They lost a leader and two from the squad. But Kunzite was still the same alert. He checked all the tips and even the most incredible traces that could lead to the Pack, but so far nothing has happened. The latest person he wanted to interview was his most famous source, Keito Ace, but he already set up a meeing with him a week later. Because of this story with Minako. Thus, Ace remained at the end of his list. And the fact that he was in this damned club, owned by Ace, today was in no way connected with Minako. Not exactly.

It all started when Minako, whom he hadn't seen so much lately, appeared on his doorstep on Friday morning and said that today they all would go to the "Ace" club. By all, the blonde meant herself, Yaten, some Naru and Zoisite with a girl.

"With Ami?", was all that Kunzite could utter under such word-pressure. He just woke up.

"I don't know, but Zoi called her something like that," Minako thought aloud. "You should know her. You work with her."

" When did you have time to invite Zoe?! You`ve only met once!"

" Actually, it was he who invited me. You bet it is so easy to get into this club" - the girl smiled. - "One day Zoi called here, and I picked up the phone, and then we discovered that he, like me, adores clubs. And he has invitations to the "Ace"! I still can`t believe that I am meeting Ace himself in a week! Today is a special closed party, where Three Stars will perform! Maybe Yaten can somehow personally meet them and they will take him without casting!

Kunzite disconnected in the first minute of this emotional monologue, but the brain managed to fix that it was all Zoicite's fault. The guy really was a big party lover despite the police service. Unlike his girlfriend and Kunzite.

Kunzite sent the girl out of the door, who, under the influx of emotions, did not even seem to notice, and made it clear that he would not go to any club. However, at lunch, there was a call from Setsuna, who had learned from Zoicite, who had learned from Mina that Kun was missing the opportunity to "get to know her family closer."

"What are you talking about, Setc? I live with them. While you are somewhere far away and you come home for the weekend", Kunzite's voice did not conceal irritation.

"Yes, but how many times have you talked to them?"

"Lot. Try not talking to your sister a lot!

"And to Yaten? He must feel particularly uncomfortable, surrounded by strangers in a strange house. You have to pay special attention to him".

"Are you kidding? I don't have time, I ain't Hilton damn it.

"Kun," Setsuna's voice began to lower threateningly ...

In the end, Kunzite agreed to join the gang at the club. For the only reason that Setsuna was supposed to arrive the next day. And Kunzite really did not want to quarrel with his bride on their rare day off…

Taking a sip of gin, Kunzite sighed heavily. Loud techno music annoyed him, and even his favorite drink was not saving it. Glancing at the crowd, Kunzite realized that he had lost all of his companions. The only option was to get lost in the VIP zone, to which Kun proceeded, heading for the broad black staircase.

Because of some special evening with the Three Stars, the entrance to the VIP zone was tightly guarded. Only owners of platinum cards could pass. Fortunately, Kunzite had one thanks to Ace.

Taking a second glass with gin in the VIP bar, where there were far fewer people, Kunzite leaned on the balcony railing, which revealed a great view of the dance floor. Suddenly he heard footsteps, and then the bad mood turned even darker. Before him stood his former friend, and now the most hated man in this city. Diamond. The king of mother fucking, musicals.

Diamond was as always pedantically and elegantly dressed. Even in the shelter, he was famous for ironing his shirts for half an hour. But those shabby shirts were not like the one that was on it now. A gray silk shirt perfectly set off his tanned skin. Expensive shoes and cufflinks shamelessly showed the status of the owner. Violet eyes peeking out from under the slanting platinum bangs.

"I did not know that prosecutors have time to go to private parties".

"You don't know much," if a glance could kill, both blonde men would already be dead.

Diamond grinned and finished his gin in one fell swoop. Even in drinks, they had the same tastes. No surprise that in women ...

"How is she?" - This question was hard for him, but he could not help asking.

"Perfect. We are engaged". - Kunzite felt a mixture of emotions mixed out of pity, rejection, shame, and triumph.

"You stole her from me!" - spat out the Diamond, his face tightened.

"Are you really starting this again? She chose me, and that was her choice. Remember when you hid drugs in my bed and they threw me out of the Special Service Academy? While you, I heard, finished it with honors. It's strange how you became the king of musicals and not an agent somewhere in Yemen.

"Do you think this is enough?" The violet eyes narrowed. "I'll take revenge on you when you least expect it. When I prove to her that you are not worthy of her. That you never loved her. You took her only because you always wanted everything like mine."

"How so?" gray eyes turned into ice and were cutting him alive. "You were like a brother to me. I have always protected you. Yes, you met Setsuna first. And I asked you many times to understand and forgive us ...

"As if you can forgive for this .."

The angry tirade was interrupted when a girl of incredible beauty approached them. Pitch black hair was dissolved, huge brown eyes burned on his face. Her lips were thin and walked in the same tone as the satin dress, which perfectly fitted the girl's figure. She looked a bit like Setuna.

Catching himself to think about it, Kunzayt grinned.

Apparently, Diamond thought about something similar, as he grew dull and went to the bar, leaving them on the balcony.

"I saw you on TV, Esmeralda," Kunzite did not think to flirt, but for some reason, all the words around this woman acquired some kind of double meaning.

"My name is Rei," the girl smiled and took a sip of red wine. "I heard a lot about you. From him."

The girl casually showed her shoulder to the Diamond, standing at the bar.

"Only good things, I suppose," Kunzite smirked.

Rei burst out, and the atmosphere between them was instantly depleted.

"You wish. You still have a girlfriend stolen from him".

" They had been dating for only a week when she met me. It was a feeling at first glance, which I resisted. But it turned out to be stronger than me.

"I know about how he planted drugs. And you did not turn him into the police, although you could. It cost you a career. It makes you a very worthy character."

"Thank you," Kunzite could not hide his surprise from such awareness. "You, however, seem to be very close .."

"We sometimes sleep," Rei said simply and looked directly into Kunzite's eyes. "But it isn't love. Just sometimes we need it."

For the first time in his life, Kunzite was speechless. This girl was definitely something special.

Meanwhile, she leaned on the railing and looked at the well-lit people on the dance floor. Her attention was clearly drawn to one group of people who danced like they were for the last time in their lives. And, of course, it was Kunzite`s group. Kunzite sighed and looked at his companions.

The weeknds "Starboy ft." thundered on the dance floor.

All lost companions of Kun formed a circle. In the middle, Minako and her friend Naru were wriggling in the center. Both mastered their bodies and rhythms well. They danced opposite each other as if seducing knowing what effect they had on men. Minako lifted her hands and shook her hips in time with the music. It seemed as if girls were on the edge and soon would merge with each other. Then the music changed, and the crowd screamed. Offenbach "Be mine" started playing. Minako turned to Yaten, and Naru to Zoisite, who clearly took at least 5 shots and didn't mind the company of a sultry brunette. Had Kunzite been closer, he would have tried to tear the red-haired guy from the girl. If only this damn Mizuno had come. But no, she was much smarter than Kunzite and found some good reason to stay at work. But now drunk Zoi entered the danger zone for this reason. Moron.

Suddenly, Kunzite`s attention was distracted by this crazy Minako, who decided to do a little undressing. The blonde man vaguely recalled that something similar was in the video of this song. Minako danced very closely to Yaten, slowly unbuttoning the buttons of her blouse under his mocking gaze. Her hips were sexually moving under the bit. The black shiny bra was open to everyone's view. Yaten sharply pulled her to him, closing the half-naked girl. His hands grabbed her hips and back. Minako bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Hips continued to move, only now for a couple with Yaten. Her arms wrapped around his neck. Yaten moved his face towards the girl and tried not to breathe. Green eyes were fixed in blue. He already wanted to pierce her lips with a hard kiss, as the girl somehow dodged at the last moment and pulled away. The song ended, and the girl abruptly buttoned buttons, smiling to Yaten. He also smiled derisively, only at her, until Zoisite approached and took him to a bar. Minako abruptly cast a quick glance at the balcony where Kunzite and Rei were standing, and he could not hide his surprise. Has she seen him all this time? But then Minako spun in another dance with Naru and did not look at the balcony anymore. Must have seemed, thought Kunzite to himself. For some reason, he did not like what he saw. And this was not only the drunk Zoe, who touched Naru`s ass during the dance. For some reason, it felt heavy after the dance of Minako and Yathen. And he did not understand why. Maybe because he was not used to seeing them together. Yaten so seldom caught his eyes (probably Setsuna was right, and the guy felt uncomfortable). Or maybe because he was not used to seeing the noisy and funny Minako like that. So amazingly flexible and sexy. So confident in the arms a confident man.. Kunzite really needed a drink.

"A beautiful couple," Rei interrupted his thoughts, finishing her wine. "The girl is on fire. It`s been a while since I`ve seen such a passion on the dance floor."

"Yes." Kunzite did not know what to say to this. "They are with me, and it seems to me that it is time for us to go home."

"It's only 11. - Rei tried to portray a surprise but failed. Kunzite`s unwillingness to be in the club was visible with a naked eye.

"Yes, I think these four hours are more than enough. It was nice to meet you."

The girl nodded and kissed him goodbye.

* * *

Collecting all 4 together and plunging into a taxi was not an easy task. More precisely, Yaten was the only one in, while the other three shouted that it was still early, and "Three Stars" didn't even appear yet. But Kunzite was done for today and he didn't intend to joke.

At home, to his great surprise, Setsuna was waiting for him. She threw herself into his arms under Minako's joyful laugh and Zoi's exclamations.

"I was free a little earlier," she managed to whisper into his lips.

Ten minutes later they were sitting at a round table. Setsuna poured vodka and tonic to everyone. As she said, she also wanted to relax. All but Yaten supported her warmly. Kunzite started liking Yaten more and more.

" God, I'm so tired. It's so nice to just sit, drink and not think about anything." Setsuna loved vodka.

"I think we are all tired." Kunzite didn't know how to take his girl to the idea of ending this strange party.

"Let's play the bottle!" happily exclaimed the well-drunk Naru. Minako giggled. Kunzite rolled his eyes.

Even the silent Yaten could not restrain himself.

"We ain`t in school anymore, don't you think it's time to finish this party ..

"Yaten don't be so boring!" Zoisite interrupted him.

Setsuna, who poured herself three glasses of vodka and tonic didn't object to idiotic games. She gave an empty bottle from the Absolute to Mina, who promptly started unwinding it with a strange excitement. Kunzite dramatically finished his glass of vodka, not bothering to mix it with tonic. He was not going to participate in this idiocy. He got up, slightly staggering. And then the bottle stopped spinning, with the lid pointing at him. The room erupted in shouts and laughter. Kunzite glanced at Yaten: the guy was smiling, but his eyes remained absolutely serious and strained. Minako looked at Setsuna in dismay, but she was the first to exclaim:

"Minako kiss him!"

"Yes, Mina, properly!" Zoi supported her ardently under the drunken laughter of Naru.

Kunzite was about to announce that he wasn't participating when Minako, leaning his palms on the table, began to lean over the table, and he again saw her bra. Which so brightly sparkled under that silver ball in the club. A strange languor swept over his body. One fucking kiss. Just one.

He sat down again and reached out to meet her wet lips. When their lips touched each other, Kunzite gently kissed her and sucked in in the tempting aroma of her skin. She immediately frightened away when she saw a glimpse of desire in his eyes.

Now it was Kunzite`s turn to turn the bottle. He sharply spun the Absolute, which stopped at Setsuna. Joy and some frustration swept over the man. The girl smiled and immediately gave him a passionate kiss.

Setsuna spun the bottle next, she got Yaten. Karma commented Zoicite. They quickly touched their lips, Setuna reddened, while Yaten remained the same indifferent cold. It was unclear why he stayed at all to play this game. As well as it was unclear to Kunzite why he himself stayed.

Yaten spun the bottle tightly. It showed Naru. With the same stone look on his face, Yaten quickly ran his lips over Naru's lips. It was more like a slap than a kiss. But the girl was so drunk that she didn't even realize it. Naru got Minako, and the giggling girls quickly kissed each other under Zoicite's groans. Minako began to twist the bottle, and there was tension in the room. Or at least it hung in Kunzite`s head. The bottle stopped at Zoisite.

"Well, finally," the drunken guy laughed. "Come to me, baby."

"NO!"

A sharp voice sounded like a whip. Minako gave Yaten a scared look. His face no longer seemed so indifferent, with each cell radiating irritation. A beautiful face was painted with contempt.

" Let's go, Minako. Thank you all for the evening and good night."

Despite all the hops and atmosphere, there was something in his voice that made it clear that he wasn't joking. Even Minako somehow got sober and gently patted Yathen on the arm.

"Good night everybody! "

Having lost two players, the game lost its meaning. Kunzite summoned two taxis for Naru and Zoisite; fortunately, they got into their cars, meaning Zoisite hadn't yet completely lost his mind. Setsuna and Kunzite were left alone...

* * *

After a quick and passionate sex, Setsuna fell asleep, but Kun was late for his dreams. Too many thoughts in the head. Willing to grab some water, Kunzite went down. Of course, there was no one downstairs. Returning, Kunzite decided to approach the door where Mina and Yaten were staying. Being amazed at himself, he leaned against the door, listening to what was going on outside the door. But there were no sounds, except for the even breathing of two sleeping people. And for some reason, it gave some peace to Kunzite. He returned to bed to Setsuna and immediately fell into a dream.


End file.
